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Minister: ‘Building resilience to impact of climate change is crucial'

The Minister of State at the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, Alan Dillon has said that the government is committed to developing climate adaptation measures to manage the impact of extreme weather events. Speaking in the Dáil yesterday (June 10), Fine Gael TD, Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister of State his views on the Environment Protection Agency's (EPA) risk assessment report. Minister of State Dillon noted that the effects of climate change can already be seen through the impact of storms, including Babet, Darragh and, most recently, Éowyn. He said: 'Attribution studies inform us that climate change is adding significantly to the strength of these extreme weather events. Adapting to the new reality and building resilience to the impact of climate change is critical. 'We recognise the need to support communities, businesses and ecosystems as climate risks continue to rise,' the minister added. Deputy Ó Muirí said that there is a risk of disruption and damage to energy transmission and distribution infrastructure due to extreme wind. The TD said that there is a similar risk to communications, which he said happened during Storm Éowyn. He said: 'To be fair, the ESB was a lot faster than the telecommunications providers in their response and that is something that must be looked at. 'There is also risk of disruption, damage and loss of transport infrastructure due to sea level rises and coastal flooding, as well as risk of damage and loss of buildings due to sea level rise, coastal erosion and coastal flooding,' Deputy Ó Muirí added. Climate change Minister of State Dillon highlighted that the EPA report draws on 'international best practices' from the UK, New Zealand, and the EU. He said that this highlights complex risks, which impact across the energy system and forestry. The minister said: 'Through the framework and the 13 different adaptation plans that will be finalised this year, we will have plans that can deliver real world actions while also putting strategies in place to protect communities, infrastructure and the economy. 'They will be led out through various departments and through local authority-led actions,' Minister of State Dillon added.